Student/GHS Donor attends State of the Union address

Student/GHS Children's Hospital donor to attend State of the Union address

January
24, 2011

GREENVILLE, S.C. -
Representative
Trey Gowdy (SC-04) announced he will be accompanied to the State of the
Union Tuesday night by Madison Turcotte, a 10-year-old student at Taylors
Elementary School in Greenville with an exceptional dedication to the community
and public service.

Madison,
a fifth grader, serves on Student Council at Taylors Elementary. She bakes
cookies for her company, “Kookies for Kids,” and donates the proceeds to the
GHS Children’s Hospital to pay for birthday parties for hospitalized children.
She
is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc (Gina) Turcotte of Taylors.

“When
I heard about her kindness, her devotion to others less fortunate, her selfless
acts and her interest in public service, I was humbled. We need to meet
her and learn from her – she has a lot to teach current members of Congress,”
Congressman Gowdy said. “My ticket to the State of the Union comes from
the people I represent and their willingness to let me serve them in
Washington. I wanted to use the extra ticket in a way that would honor
them. The ticket belongs to them, not me.”

This
will not be the last child that accompanies Gowdy to the State of the Union as
he announced an annual contest honoring children who are equally committed to
principle and politeness. The contest, entitled “I’m Principled but
Polite,” will encourage children to hold firm to their beliefs but to practice
kindness and politeness to one another.

“Too
often our children see ad hominem attacks passed off as debate, vitriol passed
off as virtue,” Gowdy said. “The Upstate of South Carolina can lead the
way it believes. When I think of notable past and present leaders from
the Upstate, I am struck by their ability to balance deeply held ideological
beliefs with cordiality. That is a trait worth encouraging and I hope this
essay contest can reward it.”

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